Waiting...

So we are getting a lesson in waiting. Don't you hate it when things are going along quickly & things are changing & looking good & then suddenly everything stalls! Hubby had possible job change (still away from home, but closer to home)..now it's stalled & we don't even know if it will happen.

At first I got all tense & worried. What if it falls through, what if he loses current job, what if, what if, what if! The "what ifs" will get you every time. They start you in a downward spiral. First it's just a minor downer & then you get thinking worse & worse scenarios. Before you know it you are stressed beyond reason & your blood pressure is up & you're snapping at everyone. You've lost your trust! So I stopped, prayed & pulled out my Bible.

Philippians 4:6-7 says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer & petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

So, we are still waiting for this issue to be resolved. BUT I'm at peace! We are praying. We have our friends & family praying! I know that MY GOD will work this out for Good. He has all this in His control & even if we don't like the answer, He is in Control!!

I know waiting is hard, but trust God! He works all things out for Good! And He has plans for you & me! Plans to prosper you & not to harm you, plans to give you hope & a future!(Jeremiah 29:11)

Help! My hubby spends all his time on....

No, I don't need help. BUT I got your attention. I'm writing this because lately I've heard a lot of women complaining that their husband spends all his time on the computer or he spends all his time watching football or all his time playing video games, or whatever his passion/interest is.

It seems like so many women feel alone or unloved because other things take their husbands time & attention. While this is a problem, think about how much time you spend on girl things like shopping, sewing, scrap booking, etc...Just like you, your husband needs to have some fun. He needs to have an outlet for his frustrations. Now, I know it shouldn't monopolize his time, but he should have time to do it!

When I was first married & we would do things with the people my hubby worked with, I was amazed
at the disdain the other wives had for the hobbies of their husbands. I decided then & there that I didn't want to be like these wives! These wives just hated that their husbands had hobbies. They sat & brewed over the fact they were on the computers & wasting their time yet in the same breath were talking about how much time they themselves spent shopping or scrapbooking or on their own hobbies. They showed no respect for their husbands & talked bad about them. When I dared to ask if they thought about gaming with their husbands, I almost got laughed out of the room. (BTW, I know at least 2 of these marriages have ended! Sad.)

That's when I decided to take an interest in what my hubby was interested in. He was/is a computer geek & spent a lot of time on the computer. So, I started asking him about the computers & asking him to teach me what he was doing. I started being interested in his hobbies. Now we can spend hours playing "Rock Band" or "StarCraft" together!

And NO, he doesn't take photos or garden with me (my hobbies), BUT I do get to spend quality time with him and it has made our relationship stronger. Plus, I think he likes bragging to his geek buddies about the fact that he can game with his wife! Oh, & don't tell him, but I actually like gaming with him now!!

No matter what your husbands hobby (computers/gaming/sports/hunting/running/biking/boating/etc) I issue this challenge to you: Do you know what your Husband likes to do for fun? Do you know what his hobby is? Do you do it with him? If your answer to any of these questions is no, then maybe it's time to find out & act! Who knows, you might be like me & actually enjoy his hobby!! Plus, you'll get to spend quality time with your hubby!!

Struggling with who I am...

I love my life. But sometimes, when I start looking around at my friends & family, I start struggling with who I am. I see moms who cook from scratch, who can their own food, who make their kids' clothes & think "I need to be doing that". I see a mom who is very frugal & think "I need to be that way". I see moms who have their child in every activity they can find & think "I need to get my kids in all those activities". I see families who are involved in other ministries & think "We need to do that too". I see families who are having weekly or even daily family time & think "We need to have family time like that". Then when my life, my hubby or myself don't match these "IDEAS" I get frustrated...

That's when I hear God whisper..."But I didn't make you to do all those things or to be like them. I made you Unique...I made you You!" When I embrace who God made me to be & embrace where I am at this stage of my life, I stop struggling. I see clearly my direction in life & recognize that my life is truly one of a kind.

While I appreciate & love all my friends, I can say, your life is not mine! And it's ok that I'm not like everyone else. I really never have been...It's time to embrace my life & stop struggling with who I am.

I'm a wife to a wonderful Hubby who loves me & treats me like a princess. Because he travels, our life is crazy. We have no schedule as some would see, but it works for us. We fit school in where we can - nights, afternoons, mornings, weekends & at home, on the road, in hotels.... We embrace the times when are with hubby & keep busy getting ahead when he is gone.

I have 3 wonderful kids. They are not like anyone else's! They walk to the beat of their own drums. They too are unique. Our school work will be taylored to their interests & my teaching style will be different than many others who homeschool.

I have fibromyalgia so my energy/time needs to be spent wisely. Shortcuts at meals & less external activities are the rule of thumb.

So, I am me! I do not have to be like the moms around me! I love all my friends but I'm not them. My life is radically different & I need to remember that! I need to embrace who God made me to be. I need to stop torturing myself when I do things differently or think differently. So who am I? I am me! I'm unique, I'm different & it's time I start being confident that God knows who He made me to be!

Homeschooling from a hotel room

As many of you know, we've been in Paducah, KY with Hubby as he's been here for work (training Nurses). It's been so nice to be with him. Living in a hotel room has been nice in some respects & challenging in others. We do have a 2 room suite so that helps but you still feel like you are on top of each other all the time. Makes me thankful for my house!

Even though we are at a hotel, we are still doing schoolwork. I brought a crate with our spelling, math, writing, phonics & other workbooks. I also brought a bunch of Halloween/Fall coloring & worksheets I printed out from various websites for fun! The kids have actually been pretty good about doing their schoolwork. In fact, David finished his Phonics K book & will be starting Phonics 1 when we get home! He's so excited!

We've had lots of PE class! Jamie swam from 1 end of the pool to the other for the first time. David has learned to swim underwater & Jessica is learning to swim also. We are so proud of them.

We also were able to take some field trips.

On Saturday we were able to go to the Paducah water front (Ohio & Tennessee Rivers). We also went to the Lloyd Tilghman Civil War Museum and the River Discovery Center. The kids loved going to these places & even Hubby & I learned some new things!

On Sunday, we went to Land Between the Lakes Federal Recreation Area. We visited the Homeplace, an 1850s working village. The kids learned about spinning wool, making tools & even got to pet some sheep. Then they got to dress up in period costumes! We also visited the Bison & Antelope prairie but did not spot any animals. We were all disappointed in that.

So, while schooling on the road is challenging in some respects, it has been a great learning experience. We have gotten to visit some places we wouldn't normally have went - Who goes to Paducah, KY on vacation? The kids have gotten lots of exercise - swimming almost every day. Most importantly, we've gotten to be together as a family for 2 weeks straight.

Pumpkin Day

Today was pumpkin day in our house. We had 6 pumpkins from my dad's garden which I needed to puree before they went bad. So I turned it into a learning opportunity.

So, we guessed which pumpkin weighed the most. Then we weighed them. They weighed 9 1/2 lbs, 9 lbs, 5 1/2 lbs, 5 lbs, 4 lbs & 3 1/2 lbs. Then the kids drew pictures of the pumpkins. Next we guessed which would have the most seeds. Then the fun began. I cut the pumpkins open & the kids took out the seeds. Later I counted all the seeds. We have a total of 2,861 seeds. The biggest pumpkin did not have the most seeds, the 2nd biggest one did.

Then my work began. I cut, peeled, cleaned, cooked, pureed & bagged the pumpkin. I also boiled the seeds & put them out to dry. Tomorrow we will roast them.  We got 28 cups of pumpkin puree. The kids were disappointed that I did not make something with the pumpkin tonight!